1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for automatically removing the skin and trimming fat from a meat product and, more particularly, relates to an automatic skin removal and fat trimming device including an entry conveyor belt and an upper pressing conveyor belt or pressing cylinder device which cooperate to move the meat product into contact with a rotating ridged cylinder which in turn forces the meat product into contact with a skin removal blade mounted adjacent the end of the entry conveyor belt, a second curved fat trimming blade then engages the meat product, the fat trimming blade positioned above the skin trimming blade and spaced therefrom to engage, cut and remove the fat lining surrounding the meat portion of the meat product, following which a meat removing conveyor belt mounted rearwardly of the skin trimming and fat trimming blades engages the meat product thus removing the meat product from the trimming device in cooperation with the rear section of the upper pressing conveyor belt or pressing cylinder device which compresses and pulls the meat product through the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art devices for trimming unwanted portions from meat products are well known in the art. However, these devices are generally limited to meat products which are generally flat and may have the undesirable characteristic when used with rounded meat products, of pivoting or skewing the product during trimming.
Consequently, the trimming of an unwanted portion from a generally rounded product such as, but not limited to, beef and pork butts and the like, had to be accomplished by hand either using a knife such as described in Dubors, U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,175 and Townsend, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,753 or a manual membrane skinning machine. These methods are extremely dangerous and/or time-consuming. Repetitive motion injuries, carpal tunnel problems, hand fatigue and lacerations are all possibilities resulting from hand skinning.
Furthermore, a problem with those devices in the prior art is that there does not exist a single device which will both deskin and defat the meat product automatically. This results in the need for additional machine operators and additional opportunities for injuries to the operator or ruination of the meat product.
As is well understood in the art, pork butts are also commonly referred to as pork shoulders. Additionally, meat xe2x80x9cmusclesxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cproductsxe2x80x9d as used herein are meant to refer broadly to beef and pork butts such as sirloin butt, butt tenderloin, bottom sirloin butt, pork shoulder butt, boston butt and the like, but may include other types of meat products. Materials to be trimmed may be fat, membranes, skin, connective tissue, gristle, bone, or the like. Machines for accomplishing this trimming are referred to in the art as xe2x80x9cskinningxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cderindingxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cdefattingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctrimmingxe2x80x9d machines.
Currently, extended, rounded meat products such as beef and pork butts, must usually be trimmed by hand or using machines with a feed mechanism which tend to pivot the product during the trimming process. Either way, it is difficult to properly trim the meat product, and both methods create the possibility of serious injury to the hands of the operator including cumulative trauma injuries and carpal tunnel injuries. Additionally, when using these prior art machines, there is a large reduction in efficiency due to the time required to perform the numerous hand strokes required. Furthermore, the numerous hand strokes required may lead to repetitive motion injuries. Consequently, it is highly desirable to automate the process of trimming extended or rounded meat products. Such automation leads to enhanced ergonomics, increased yield and increased production.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic skin removing and fat trimming device for meat products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic skin removing and fat trimming device for meat products which is capable of automatically deskinning and trimming a variety of different sizes of beef or pork butts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic skin removing and fat trimming device for meat products capable of automatically keeping the meat product in proper position during the trimming process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic skin removing and fat trimming device which will accommodate a variety of blade shapes, sizes and types.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic skin removing and fat trimming device for meat products which is durable in construction and safe and efficient in use.
The present invention is directed to an automatic skin removal and fat trimming device for meat products which includes a frame having forward and rearward ends and an entry conveyor belt mounted on the frame adjacent to the forward end of the frame for receiving a meat product thereon and transporting it into the device. Mounted on the frame above the entry conveyor belt is an upper pressing conveyor belt which has forward and rearward sections, the forward section angled relative to the entry conveyor belt such that when a meat product on the entry conveyor belt is transported into the automatic skin removal and fat trimming device, the meat product is compressed between the entry conveyor belt and upper pressing conveyor belt in order to eliminate undesirable rotation of the meat product. The entry conveyor belt and upper pressing conveyor belt cooperate to move the meat product into contact with a rotating ridged cylinder mounted on the frame adjacent the rearward end of the entry conveyor belt, the cylinder operative to frictionally engage the skin of the meat product to further direct the meat product through the device and into contact with a skin removal blade mounted adjacent the end of the entry conveyor belt slightly above the plane of the entry conveyor belt such that as the meat product is moved past the skin trimming blade, the skin on the meat product is removed and separated from the remainder of the meat product. A separate curved fat trimming blade then engages the meat product, the fat trimming blade positioned above the skin trimming blade and spaced therefrom to engage, cut and remove the fat lining surrounding the meat on the meat product. A meat removing conveyor belt mounted rearwardly of the skin removal and fat trimming blades then engages the meat product and pulls the meat product towards the rearward end of the frame thereby removing the meat product from the trimming device. The rearward section of the upper pressing conveyor belt cooperates with the rear removal conveyor belt to compress and pull the meat product through the machine, in much the same manner as was done in connection with the entry conveyor belt and the forward section of the upper pressing conveyor belt. The meat product with the skin removed and fat separated from the meat is then ejected from the device by the meat removal conveyor belt. A drive device such as an electric motor is operatively connected to each of the conveyor belts by a serious of belts or chains to drive each of the conveyor belts to pull the meat product through the device and efficiently separate the skin and fat from the meat product.
As thus described, the present invention provides a substantial improvement over those devices found in the prior art. For example, because the skin and fat are removed during the same process, the overall processing time of the meat product is greatly reduced. Furthermore, the present invention eliminates the need for multiple machines and multiple persons to perform the skin removal and fat trimming operations, thus saving a user of the invention substantial costs and eliminating many of the risks previously discussed. Also, as the fat trimming blade of the present invention may be replaced with a fat trimming blade having a different curve, various types of meat products may be processed by the present invention, not only pork butts and the like. Finally, because the upper and lower conveyor belts cooperate to compress the meat product when the skin removal and fat trimming blades engage the meat product, the meat product will not slip or rotate, resulting in efficient cutting of the fat and skin. It is thus seen that the present invention provides a substantial improvement over those skin removal and fat trimming devices found in the prior art.